"Richard A. Knaak - The Kingdom Of Shadow" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knaak Richard A)

diabolic demons seeking to guide the mortal world down the path of corruption, leading all to Hell.

The Sin War had not been fought as normal wars, for it had been fought by Heaven and Hell themselves.
True, the archangels and demons stood opposing one another like two armies, but the battles most often
took place behind the scenes, behind the eyes of mortals. The supposed war had also stretched hundreds
of yearsтАФfor what were years to immortal beings? Kingdoms had risen and fallen, fiends such as Bartuc,
the Warlord of Blood, had come to power, then been defeatedтАФand still the war had pressed on.

And early on in this struggle, wondrous Ureh had become a central battleground.

тАЬAll knew of UrehтАЩs greatness in those days,тАЭ the bald sorcerer went on. тАЬA fount of light, the guiding
force of good in those troubled daysтАФwhich, of course, meant that it drew the attention not only of the
archangels but of the lords of Hell themselves, thePrime Evils.тАЭ

The Prime Evils. Whatever land one had been born in, whether in the jungles of Kehjistan or the cooler,
rockier realms of the Western Kingdoms, all knew of the Prime Evils, the three brothers who ruled Hell.
Mephisto, Lord of Hatred, master of undead. Baal, Lord of Destruction, bringer of chaos.

Diablo.

Diablo, perhaps the most feared, the ultimate manifestation of terror, the nightmare not only of children
but of veteran warriors who had already seen the horrors men themselves could produce. Diablo it had
been who had gazed most at bright Ureh from his monstrous domain, who had most been offended by its
glorious existence. Order could be brought forth from the chaos created by Baal, and the hatred of
Mephisto could be mastered by anyman with strength, but to have no fear of fear itselfтАФsuch a thing
Diablo could not believe and would not stand.

тАЬThe lands around Ureh grew darker with each passing year, Captain Dumon. Creatures twisted by evil
or born not of this world harried those who would journey to and from the city walls. Sinister magicks
insinuated themselves where they could, barely driven back by the sorcerers of the kingdom.тАЭ

And with each defeat by the peoples of Ureh, the Vizjerei added, Diablo grew more determined. He
would bring down the wondrous city and make its inhabitants the slaves of Hell. All would see that no
power on the mortal plane could withstand the most foul of the Prime Evils.

тАЬIt came to the point when no one dared travel to the city and few could escape it. It is said that then the
lord of the realm, the just and kind Juris Khan, gathered his greatest priests and mages and decreed that
they would do what they had to in order to save their people once and for all. Legend has it that Juris
Khan had been granted a vision by an archangel, one who had declared to him that the powers above
had seen the trials of their most honored followers and had felt moved to grant them the greatest of
havens, so long as the humans put it upon themselves to reach it.тАЭ Quov Tsin had an almost enraptured
expression on his wizened face. тАЬHe offered the people of Ureh the very safety of Heaven itself.тАЭ

Gorst grunted, his way of expressing his outright awe at these words. Kentril held his peace, but he had
trouble imagining such an offer. The archangel had opened the very gates of Heaven to the mortals of
Ureh, opened to them a place where not even all three Prime Evils combined could have made the
slightest incursion. All the people of Ureh had to do was find their way there.

тАЬSome gesture,тАЭ the mercenary captain interjected, not without some sarcasm. тАЬ тАШHere we are, but you
can find your own good way to get to us.тАЩ тАЭ